Books in Brief

Religion and State in the American Jewish Experience, edited by Jonathan D. Sarna and David G. Dalin (Notre Dame, 368 pp., $40)

HAVING experienced persecution at the hands of Christians throughout their history, Jews are naturally sensitive to the separation of church and state. That there should be a “wall of separation” became something of a mantra among Jewish groups in this country in the years following World War II, and the Supreme Court eventually ruled Bible reading, prayer, and other forms of religious expression in public education unconstitutional. In this trail-blazing source book going from colonial days to the present time, Professors Sarna and Dalin argue that, in fact, Jews have been more diverse in their views on this subject than is widely acknowledged. They have sought for much of their history religious equality rather than the total removal of religion from the public arena. The authors present a range of primary source materials along with a balanced commentary on how Jewish leaders and organizations have responded to Sunday “blue laws,” prayer in schools, the display of menorahs alongside Christian symbols on public property, and many other subjects. With this important book, the authors set the terms of the new debate within the Jewish community on the current understanding of church-state relations.

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Murray Friedman

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Religion and State in the American Jewish Experience, edited by Jonathan D. Sarna and David G. Dalin (Notre Dame, 368 pp., $40)

HAVING experienced persecution at the hands of Christians throughout their history, Jews are naturally sensitive to the separation of church and state. That there should be a “wall of separation” became something of a mantra among Jewish groups in this country in the years following World War II, and the Supreme Court eventually ruled Bible reading, prayer, and other forms of religious expression in public education unconstitutional. In this trail-blazing source book going from colonial days to the present time, Professors Sarna and Dalin argue that, in fact, Jews have been more diverse in their views on this subject than is widely acknowledged. They have sought for much of their history religious equality rather than the total removal of religion from the public arena. The authors present a range of primary source materials along with a balanced commentary on how Jewish leaders and organizations have responded to Sunday “blue laws,” prayer in schools, the display of menorahs alongside Christian symbols on public property, and many other subjects. With this important book, the authors set the terms of the new debate within the Jewish community on the current understanding of church-state relations.